


baby i think i like you

by equalove



Category: ITZY (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/F, Fluff without Plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-17
Updated: 2020-06-17
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:54:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24756616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/equalove/pseuds/equalove
Summary: Yeji learns to trust Ryujin that day.Ryujin gets the flu instead.
Relationships: Hwang Yeji/Shin Ryujin
Comments: 4
Kudos: 68





	baby i think i like you

"I'd really like for us to stay like this even after graduation." Yeji's voice rings in her ears like a melody. 

The day is a comfortable warm, it was the warmth that made you feel good. From the rooftop of the school building it was easier to spot the clouds that filled the light blue sky in random splotches and shapes. Ryujin swears she saw a whale float by a while back. 

"Me too." Ryujin retorts breathily, letting out a calm huff of breath. 

She doesn't look down to face Yeji, who had conveniently found a comfortable spot on her lap, knowing she had her eyes closed anyways. 

The ruckus from the school grounds below was soft and muffled enough for the conversations to hold no meaning. It was quiet up on the roof and the two had made it their spot. 

She leans back, letting her arms take her weight as she tilts her head up to continue to watch the clouds, lets the sun kiss her skin until the next bell rings.

Nobody was supposed to be up on the roof, but Yeji had sweet talked the janitor into letting her keep the spare key, promising him that she wouldn't do anything stupid. 

Ryujin had stumbled upon the rooftop one day when Yeji had left the door unlocked. She wanted a place to get some extra shut eye after deciding to cut an early morning Math class when she found Yeji up there too, sitting up, back against the chain-link fence and her eyes closed. 

_"You're not supposed to be up here." Yeji says calmly, though she takes a second to eye Ryujin up and down._

_"Neither should you, though." Ryujin's reply lingers with intrigue._

_She ignores Yeji's – extremely lackluster – attempt at indirectly asking her to leave as she walks closer to the latter._

_"Touché."_

During the first few weeks they had spent cutting classes up on the roof, neither of them had made any attempts of getting to know one another. All they knew about the other were their names, and that was only due to their name-tags.

_Hwang Yeji,_ Ryujin had made a mental note to remember her name the 3rd time they met. 

They finally saw each other around school after their encounter. It was weird how they were both in the same year and were taking classes on the same floor, and yet had never once bumped into each other before this. 

Yeji spots Ryujin at soccer practice while she makes her way to her remedial classes and Ryujin sees Yeji at volleyball practice, walking past the hall with a stack of worksheets in hand while she helps the class president carry them over to the teacher's office.

Their interactions were bare minimum for the next few weeks. Yeji throwing snarky remarks at Ryujin when they meet at the rooftop. Sometimes she'd repeat the same "You're not supposed to be up here." joke again and Ryujin would let out a huffed laugh. 

It was probably around their 4th week up on the roof when Yeji had initiated a conversation. 

_"Do you not get in trouble for your hair colour?" She turns to look at Ryujin who'd made the spot next to her hers from the get-go._

_"I just learned how to hide it well."_

_The blonde streaks that peeked through the rest of her dark brown hair stuck out like a sore thumb. She had gotten it done during the year end holidays and had gotten too attached to dye them back to brown. Of course, she had gotten a fair share of warnings from the headmistress but learning how to hide it was easier – and much more convenient in her eyes – than dyeing it back._

_"It looks good on you."_

Their subsequent moments on the rooftop became more about spending time with each other than getting their additional rest. 

Ryujin had finally genuinely laughed at one of Yeji's plethora of dad jokes that she seemingly always had at hand and that was the start of it all, because before, all Ryujin did was roll her eyes playfully. 

They started getting used to each other’s company. The awkward self-awareness and the ‘trying to impress’-ness wore off, with Yeji being less afraid of acting aloof in front of her and Ryujin letting out her warm, whisker-like smiles and genuine laughs more often.

Whenever they'd meet at the rooftop now, they'd flash each other a smile that followed with a small _Hey_. The snarky comments were still a constant though, with Ryujin almost always giving the opening blow and Yeji retorting back in a heartbeat. 

Their friendship had extended past the comfort zone of the rooftop before the middle of the year. Getting lunch together and getting their friend groups acquainted with each other. Ryujin introduces Chaeryeong and Yuna to Yeji and Lia and they all became friends almost instantly. 

Yeji would stop by to watch Ryujin during her soccer practices when she's able to. Sometimes she'd come just to say hi before she leaves for her remedial classes and it always made the rest of the soccer team swoon. The teasing that ensued after the first time was brutal. 

_"Can't believe you managed to sweep up Hwang Yeji." Hyunjin jabs an elbow into her rib, the remark makes her cheeks flush red._

_"We're only friends!" She replies a little too defensively for her well-being._

_She feels her blood rush up to her ears and cheeks and it just utterly messes up her plan of being cool about it. But it wasn't as if her overly defensive tone was going to help her cause._

_"Oh? Is someone flustered?" Hyunjin's tone is evidently higher and louder and she makes sure every last word reeks of mischief. In their many years of friendship, this was the first she'd seen Ryujin so flustered and she wasn't going to pass up on the opportunity to tease the absolute living hell out of her._

She had gotten used to the teasing after a while and the teasing soon turned into curiosity and admiration. The team thought they were perfect together but Ryujin – and the occasional Yeji when she sticks around longer – would brush it off as them just being friends. 

Whenever Ryujin stops by Yeji's volleyball practices it was less teasing and more adoration. The first time she stopped by was also the first time she sent her off to practice. A wave of questions erupted as soon as Ryujin was nowhere in sight.

_"Shin Ryujin?!" Yeji hears Sooyoung the loudest. But the team had somehow screamed that particular question in unison, and it made it way louder than Yeji would've liked._

_Actually, she would've liked it if they didn't shout that at all._

_"It's not like that!" She replies in a hushed shout, eyes scanning the perimeter of the court to see if Ryujin was still lurking._

_"As Captain I say that it is like that."_

_Whatever left Sooyoung's mouth made no sense to Yeji and she's left with that because their coach walks in and they're off to practice._

Yeji vividly remembers the times they actually got some sleep while on the roof. She remembers how Ryujin would insist on sitting up against the chain-link fence, but she would always end up resting her head on Yeji's shoulder by the time she's fast asleep anyways. Sometimes Yeji would refuse to sleep before Ryujin does just so she's able to grab her head as it starts to lean the opposite way. 

Rain pours in a flash, no drizzle no grey clouds just a downpour in the blink of an eye. It was Yeji who awakens first, but she's already drenched, her uniform already sticking uncomfortably to her body and her shoes soaked in water. 

_"Ryujin," she calls for the latter in a surprisingly calm tone, "it's raining we gotta go."_

_Yeji tries to shake Ryujin up but all she gets in return is groans and hmms. Of all times she decides to turn her stubbornness up to 100 it's when rain is pouring down on them._

_"Ryu come on, its pouring." She raises her voice just slightly, annoyance a lingering undertone._

_"It's just rain, relax." Ryujin mumbles her words out as she shifts her head slightly._

_"But you'll get sick!" It's concern for her health and shock from her carelessness that flows throughout her evidently louder words._

_She sits up abruptly and it causes Ryujin’s head to slip off her shoulders. It finally wakes her up._

_"And? It's calming, trust me." It takes Ryujin a second to reply, still a little too groggy to process words._

_She stands to stretch out her sore muscles before holding her hand out for Yeji to grab, pulling her to the middle of the roof. Ryujin sits right smack centre and she tugs onto Yeji's arm, gesturing her to do the same._

_"It feels good I swear, close your eyes and don’t think about anything." Ryujin says, her words are soft against the loud splatters of water against cement, her voice had reassurance lingering all over and it make Yeji trust her._

_Yeji feels at this point she would trust Ryujin with anything if she spoke to her like that._

_She watches as Ryujin lies on her back, eyes shut, and it seems like she doesn't have a care in the world._

_Yeji abides, her initial thoughts being it was ridiculous and stupid, but she does as she's told anyways. Her initial thoughts, though, are quickly washed away like the fallen dried leaves the moment she rids of everything in her brain._

_The splattering of water on her face didn't bother her anymore, the way her blouse clung onto her skin was an afterthought. She felt calm and at ease, the pitter-patter of rain against the roof was now soothing._

_Yeji learns to trust Ryujin that day._

_Ryujin gets the flu instead._

Yeji doesn't realise how much she looked forward to their – now only during lunch – rooftop naps until Ryujin doesn't show up the next day. 

And the day after that.

And the day after that.

And the day after that.

When she goes to unlocks the door to the roof that Friday, she sees Ryujin already waiting outside.

_"Hey." Ryujin says, flashing her a sheepish smile._

_"I missed you." Was what Yeji replied with, eyes scanning the latter as if anything would change in 4 days._

_"Me too."_

_It's scary,_ Ryujin thinks. It's scary how much she relies on Yeji. For comfort, for warmth. She always believed she was independent at least for the most part. She liked things to turn out her way, liked order in things, simplicity. And with Yeji she feels like she gets it all.

Seeing Yeji up on the rooftop, eyes closed, wind blowing her hair a mess and yet she looked at peace. Always. 

The click of the door would initiate a smile from the latter, her eyes still closed as she calls out, "Hey, Ryu."

_Her dark coffee coloured hair flows as freely as she does, but the wind gives Ryujin the chills. She rushes over to Yeji for that familiar warmth._

_"Hey." She replies as she sits. The cold cement hitting the warm skin of her legs makes her flinch, eventually getting used to it and scoots a little closer to Yeji._

_The crisp cold air of a grey skied pre-rain noon was beautiful to her. It reminded her of the one-time Yeji showed her a pic of her dyed platinum grey hair._

_"You know..." Yeji's voice trails off as she lets out a relaxed sigh. Ryujin turns to look at her, "I think love is beautiful."_

_Ryujin feels her heart spike but she doesn't want to admit the reasons for it. Warmth. Familiarity was warmth. Friendship was warmth._

_Love lacked warmth to her. It was a burden, she thought. Cold._

_"Yeah, I guess it is." Ryujin says quietly and it makes Yeji smile and turn to look at her._

_"It really is."_

Yeji isn't sure about most things in life. Almost all her decisions were made with the flip of a coin and that had always worked a charm. She got accepted into the school she applied for with the help of the coin, was excelling well in the club activity she had picked with the coin, met Ryujin because of the coin.

_The coin spins in the air, flipping from heads to tails rapidly until it's slapped back down onto the back of Yeji's hand._

_Tails was to go up on the roof for a nap and heads was to stay for the frustratingly long Chemistry class._

_She got tails._

But she was sure of one thing and one thing only. That when she sees Ryujin she feels a comforting warmth growing in her chest, that when she sees Ryujin she can't help but smile, that when she sees Ryujin, she doesn't want their time spent together to ever end. 

But it was not for the many frustratingly long hours spent over-thinking her feelings. 

_Sitting in bed, head against the wall, she thinks. Too much, in fact. She thinks back to the many times her heart had skipped a beat, or the many times she felt her cheeks flush red._

_Love wasn't complicated, she thought. It was the feelings that came before. The thoughts that build up before you're sure, that was. The doubts that ran through her head were immense._

_The what ifs were always lingering in the back of her head. She hates it but she doesn't._

_Deep down she knows what she's feeling, knows the all too familiar feeling of falling in love. But nonetheless hates the process of understanding it all over again._

The day is a comfortable warm, it was the warmth that made you feel good. 

The sun plants soft kisses on their faces as they spend the last hour of the school year together. 

The ruckus from below a soft mumble but they both know the conversations going down below like everyone else. The many "Come on, let's take another picture!" and the, "Go on, confess to them!" were all too familiar to the two. But it was finally their turn, finally theirs to take part in. But they decided to spend their last hour of their last day of school together, alone and free from anyone else.

4 years. 1 entire year spent together. 

"Hey," They both say in unison which makes them both laugh in amusement.

"You first." Yeji says, now sitting up, cross-legged and facing Ryujin. 

"I like you." It takes her no time at all. Says it like it's nothing but her heart is racing 200 beats per minute and her mind is running through copious amounts of scenarios, all in which were negative, and she gets rejected. But her exterior remains composed, though her eyes are looking at everything but Yeji.

She had accepted the feeling of love, no matter how horribly she thought of it. Because with each passing thought in each passing day, she could never keep her mind off Yeji. And no matter how cold she though love was, how brutally bitter it was, when it came to it, all she knew of it was the familiar warmth. Yeji’s warmth.

Yeji doesn't say a word for a horribly long 30 seconds. 

She blinks once. Twice. Thrice.

She breaks out into a smile, then a laugh. 

"I wasn't expecting that. And to think I was overthinking it this whole time," She says between soft laughs, and she sees Ryujin visibly confused, eyebrows furrowed, and head tilted to the side, 

"I like you too, Ryujin."

**Author's Note:**

> I felt like writing ryeji for the longest time and I finally did :) I think this was my first fic in ages which I didn't stress over and it was such a relief just writing it in general and even if it's short and lacks plot and substance it's my one of my fave fics of mine ever.


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